We have heard from many travel blogs, articles and friends how AWESOME Austin, TX is. I trusted them, but was not sure what that was going to mean. It truly is awesome, and there are just so many things to do for everyone. Since we have an eclectic style in foods and activities, this was a perfect place for us. There’s a lot to write about in Austin, so I am breaking it up into our first and second legs there, as well as places to eat and drink, and activities. And here are our first impressions of Austin, TX.

We picked up our first rental car in Houston, and drove the 165 miles to Austin, TX, stopping at Whataburger on the way. Great burgers and takeout here in Texas, in our opinion! Most of the drive.

Our Second Airbnb Experience

The place we stayed at was in South Austin with Kristie and Adrian. When we arrived, their brunch was in full swing, so we let ourselves in. It was a little awkward, because we did not know anyone there, and we were just like “hiiiii…..we are looking for Kristie or Adrian?” Kristie came over and gave us a big hug, showing us around, and offering us mimosas and food. SWEET! This really helped break the ice in a room full of strangers. Later on we sat outside chatting with their friends, as they gave us recommendations for Austin. I whipped out my phone, opened up Google Keep, and started making a list. We knew it would be tough to tackle all places, but it was nice getting some local advice on where to go, what things were like, and what to avoid.

Great Recommendations

After having a few mimosas, we got settled in and read their welcome book. Adrian and Kristie really know how to host! I will be writing about this in a later post, but this welcome book was great. It had info about their house, cat, Wi-Fi passwords, what to do near the house, downtown, and other great suggestions. Since it was our first time in Austin, TX, we decided to go Downtown to explore, which was about 15 mins away. We walked up and down 6^th street taking pictures, noticing the differences of “Dirty 6^th” and “East 6^th” and making mental notes for next time we came to visit. Daruma Ramen was what we decided on for dinner, which was a delish little ramen place on 6th, where we got to sit at the bar and watch them cook up our meal. We decided we weren’t going to get crazy that night, but wanted to scope it all out.

From the recommendations from Kristie, Adrian and their friends, we had a lot of items to tackle before we left, including hiking spots, downtown, BBQ joints, South Congress, parks and more! Good thing we were coming back to Austin, because there was so much to experience! It was kind of sad leaving this place a week later, because they were so friendly, accommodating, and made us feel at home by giving us advice,  inviting us to their favorite spot, the Moontower Saloon, while they played in a volleyball league and making us brunch on our last morning there. Read more about the places we visited in my next few posts! We are happy to report that our first impressions of Austin, TX were memorable, and we cannot wait to go back someday!